Customer Reviews

Kindle Paperwhite, 6" High Resolution Display with Next-Gen Built-in Light, Wi-Fi

This review is aimed at complete beginners to Kindles and Kindle owners alike. It will help beginners to decide which Kindle to purchase, and help Kindle owners with the decision of upgrading to the Paperwhite 2nd generation. I believe a review should give more than just "It's great" (you'll find this bit in the conclusion ;-)). For this reason, I have included as much information as possible. Even if some of the sections do not seem to apply to you (for example, if you do not have a �69 Kindle, etc.), I did not want to repeat the information about the Paperwhite, so please read them anyway. I hope that it is useful to all!

The Paperwhite has about 1.25 gigabytes of usable storage and can hold about 1,100 eBooks. The main formats it can read are the Kindle formats (AZW3, AZW and MOBI), PDF, TXT, DOC and DOCX. It also has an "experimental" web browser, but does not support audio.

INTRODUCTION TO E-INK:
It features an E-Ink display, which is unlike any other, such as the most common (LCD), which is used in tablets, mobile phones and televisions, etc. An E-Ink pixel is a tiny capsule that carries black and white particles suspended in a fluid. The particles are moved around by charges. Natural light then reflects off the particles on the surface, making the pixel visible. So, if the white particles are moved to the top of the capsule, it will appear as white. The frontlight allows it to work in the dark, using 4 LEDs in the lower bezel to shine light into a layer that spreads the light out evenly.

I will not pretend that I am you and tell you whether you should upgrade, but I will give you advantages of the Paperwhite over the previous generation Paperwhite and the �69 basic Kindle to help you make the decision.

THE IMPROVEMENTS OVER THE 2012 1st GENERATION PAPERWHITE:

- A new E-Ink Carta display, instead of the old E-ink Pearl. This gives a specified 50 percent better contrast, in other words whiter whites and blacker blacks. It also needs to refresh less often. BE AWARE that E-Ink estimates their E-Ink Carta display to have an average life of 5 years. The life of E-Ink Pearl is shorter, but they unfortunately do not specify how long.

- An improved frontlight. It is now almost perfectly evenly lit. There are no easily discernible shadows at the bottom.

- The new Page flip feature. This opens a "pop up" page that allows you to scroll through the book by chapter, by page or with a slider bar, the equivalent of putting your finger in the flipping through. If you tap the pop up page, it will become the full page. Alternatively, you may tap the cross to close it.

- A 25 percent faster processor.

- A 19 percent tighter touch grid, meaning the touch screen is more accurate.

- Vocabulary Builder. This is excellent for children and students, saving all the words that are looked up as flashcards that can be marked as "mastered" or deleted.

- Smart Lookup-the dictionary feature has been significantly improved, giving X-Ray and Wikipedia from inside the book.

THE IMPROVEMENTS OVER THE �69 (AT THE MOMENT, �59) KINDLE:

- All of the above.

- A frontlight!

- A touch screen. This makes looking up words and highlighting much easier, let alone just navigating around the device! It uses capacitive touch technology, the same type used by all high quality tablets and phones. It cannot be used with normal gloves, but touch screen gloves are available.

- An auto power off and power on feature when the case is opened and closed.

- Kindle FreeTime (see below).

- X-Ray. This allows you to see the "bones" of the book, and is useful for character heavy books, telling you about the characters and also showing you where they appear. Unfortunately some publishers do not enable X-Ray in their books.

- Time to Read. This calculates your reading speed to tell you how long it will take you to finish the chapter, or alternatively the book. I find this very useful for deciding whether to read another chapter before going to bed, etc.

- There are 6 default fonts, as opposed to the standard font and sans serif on the basic model.

- The "Home" view of your library looks quite dull on the basic Kindle (just a list of books), but on the Paperwhite it shows the covers of the books. Covers, though displayed in black and white, still look pretty good. However, list view is available if you prefer.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Q. If my Kindle breaks, will I lose my books?
A. No, they are backed up on your Amazon account.

Q. Is Wi-Fi necessary?
A. No! EBooks can be transferred via a USB port on a computer.

Q. Can the light level be adjusted?
A. Yes, it can be adjusted. There are 25 light levels (including level 0).

Q. Will it save my place in a book?
A. Yes, it saves your place in every book, even after it is deleted and downloaded again!

Q. Can page numbers be shown?
A. If page numbers are available for the book, then they can be shown in the corner instead of Time to Read.

Q. Can the text size be changed?
A. Yes, there are 8 different font sizes and six different fonts. The common Pinch to Zoom feature can now be used in normal books too.

Q. Can it read the common format ePub?
A. No. However, the free open-source software Calibre is good for converting ebooks although it will not convert DRM (digital rights management) protected books.

Q. Are there many free classics available?
A. Yes! Over 40,000 titles are available free from manybooks.net and gutenberg.org! These are in the public domain, so they were mostly published before 1923 (copyright laws changed in that year).

Q. How long does the battery last?
A. Amazon states 28 hours (8 weeks at light setting 10, based on 30 minutes usage each day) with Wifi turned off. I find that I keep the average light setting a lot higher than setting 10, and so the battery life is comparable to the basic Kindle. In the dark I use it at about setting 6-8.

SOFTWARE UPDATE 5.4.2:

There has been a new software update for the Paperwhite, and it will probably be installed on newly shipped devices or be automatically downloaded and installed.
This update includes mainly:

- Kindle FreeTime.

- Cloud Collections (the capability to back up collections on your Amazon account).

CLOUD COLLECTIONS:

Collections are folders to put books in on Kindle, but they must be organised on the device. This, before now, meant having to create all of your collections again, one by one, for each new device. HOWEVER, this problem is not solved. The Kindle will sync the collections on all devices linked to the account without being given permission, and you cannot turn it off. It is fine for one person at a time on an account, for example, getting another Kindle and transferring the collections across. Unfortunately, if two or more people with different reading interests use one account, it will sync automatically with each new device and they will have to delete all the collections that they don't want one by one. It does not seem to keep syncing the collections, so they should luckily only need to be deleted once. Also, books that are still in the Cloud may appear in the collections, which is confusing and annoying.

KINDLE FREETIME:

Kindle FreeTime is a feature that can be used for sharing a device between an adult and children, and it also makes reading more interesting for children. I have set up a test profile to inform you how it works, and I hope that this info is useful to parents.

First, you set up a profile for the child. You then add books to their library, so they can only access these books. You also set a daily reading goal, say 45 minutes. The child will gain achievements, such as "Serious Reader - read 500 pages". The adult can also see stats, for instance, time read, looked-up words, pages read, etc. The child can be also allowed to see the stats and achievements.
Access to the Kindle Store, the web browser, Wikipedia, and most of the settings is disabled in FreeTime. Multiple profiles can also be set up, and if an adult wants to resume using it, they just have to type in a password and exit FreeTime.

A FEW HANDY TIPS:

- Your e-Books will not be transferred between accounts. BUY ALL YOUR EBOOKS FROM ONE ACCOUNT.

- The Paperwhite should arrive already registered to the Amazon account it was purchased from, but it is extremely easy to reregister to a different account. You can do it from the settings page of the Kindle with Wi-Fi or from a computer.

- It will be slower after downloading lots of books while it indexes them. This may take about a few hours to a day for lots of books, and will also drain more battery life.

- You can email documents to the Kindle by sending to an address allocated to you by Amazon.

- Permanent bookmarks can also be saved. You can also highlight passages and write notes that are backed up on Amazon, and so you will not lose any if the device breaks.

- Foreign language to English dictionaries can be bought so you can quickly look up words in foreign books. I have one of these, and I recommend them for learning languages.

- Up to 6 devices can be registered to one account at one time.

- E-Ink screens are slower to change and refresh in cold conditions. It can be about three times as fast in a warm room, as opposed to at a temperature of around 10 degrees Celsius. I did a test by leaving it in the sunshine for a while, and it actually felt like a tablet after getting very warm.

MY EXPERIENCE:

My Paperwhite arrived quickly in a small black box marked "Amazon" and "Kindle Paperwhite". (If it is a gift, select gift wrapping at the checkout!) It was extremely easy to set up, and I downloaded my 90-odd books quickly, although one at a time. There is a full Kindle User Guide on the device and an interactive tutorial that shows you how to use it.
The one flaw with my unit is a small defect in the lighting layer, resulting in a tiny pinprick of light being shone upwards. However, although I could return it, it does not bother me.

CONCLUSION:

The Paperwhite is a huge improvement over the basic Kindle, being much whiter than the basic Kindle, even in daylight. The text looks crisper and the device itself has a much higher quality feel to it. It is also faster at basically everything - there is hardly any lag when typing, and I don't know how I managed without features such as 'Time to Read' and 'Page Flip'! The touch screen is textured and feels much more like paper than LCD screens and hardly shows fingerprints at all. In fact, after using it regularly for 6 months, I have never needed to clean it.

I personally find it well worth the extra �40 (or, presently, �50) for all the extra features and the (hopefully!) longer life.

Thank you for reading! If you have any queries feel free to ask, I am more than happy to help.

**I will be posting this comment on the kindle fire product as well**

I love being up to date on the latest technology especially when it comes to my kindle.
I previously owned the �69 kindle and about 10 months ago I decided to upgrade my kindle. I was torn between the Paperwhite and the Kindle Fire. I followed the advice which my boyfriend suggested and bought my kindle fire, as I could use this to catch up on my emails (I am a student so I am constantly being emailed about lectures), I liked the fact it was touch screen and had a screen like my laptop.

I was drawn by the larger screen, the speakers with the Dolby Audio and the better screen resolution on the fire. I was using this for the reading my books whilst I was travelling to and from uni. I had to purchase a anti-glare screen protector as I found the glare was making it hard to read whilst I was on the bus. This didn't really make the glare go away fully but it helped. I then only used the fire for this only I never used all the other features.

I still felt like I was still missing something when I was reading. I then convinced myself to buy the paperwhite and I have never felt better when reading the books. The fact it is more like a book when I am reading I have already gone through two books in the space of 3 days.

What I am trying to say is the kindle fire is more for the watching films and browsing the internet, also playing games. Whereas the if you are looking for closely to the book feeling then you should definitely should get the paperwhite.

I know this might not be a very useful review but I wanted to get how I felt

Although I purchased the original Kindle Paperwhite back in in October 2012, I was enticed by the additional features of this upgraded model. In particular, I was looking forward to the increased resolution of the screen and "next-gen light", which I felt may provide for an even more paper-like reading experience. My 2012 Paperwhite did suffer from a minor case of the 'blotching' issues at the bottom of the screen (which didn't disturb my personal reading experience). I have just received the upgraded Kindle Paperwhite earlier this morning and this is definitely not there with this new version. However, I have still been pondering over whether or not the new features justify an upgrade from the previous generation. Here are my thoughts.

*FIRST IMPRESSIONS*
-As with previous Kindles, the Paperwhite ships in its original box. Along with the PW, a usb cable and quick-start guide are included. If you want to offer the PW as a gift, I would strongly advise ticking the "this is a gift" option at checkout, as Amazon will then ship (at no extra charge) the PW in separate outer packaging.

-The updated PW looks identical to the previous generation, with the exception of changing the "Kindle" logo on the back of the device to "Amazon". The only other slight change is an ever so slight reduction in weight (from 213 to 206 grams).

*NEW HARDWARE*
-Improved screen: The new Paperwhite boasts an improved screen, which Amazon claims offers better contrast and "blacker blacks". Without getting too caught up on these technical details, it can be concluded that the screen definitely does look sharper and brighter. Text is visibly more crisp and stands out more. Furthermore, the brightness of the light has also increased a little, which is particularly notable when the brightness is maxed out. In fact, it is almost too bright, and I cannot imagine myself ever exceeding 75%, even in direct sunlight.

-Faster processor: The processor has also seen an improvement, from 800 MhZ to 1 GhZ, thereby supporting Amazon's claim of a "25% performance increase". Yes, page turns are slightly faster, as is returning to the home screen. However, the difference is not significant and does not really enhance the reading experience.

-Better touch technology: Amazon also claim that the touch response is more accurate with the new PW. I personally have not noticed much of a difference (although I have only owned the device for a few hours at time of writing this review!), and touch technology with e-reader screens is definitely inferior to capacitative touch screens (i.e. iPad, smart phones, etc).

*NEW SOFTWARE*
A number of new software features are available. However, these are features which Amazon could easily roll out to existing PW users through a simple software update. Whether or not they decide to do this remains to be seen.

-Kindle Page Flip allows users to scan through a book without losing their current reading page. This is a very welcome feature as I read textbooks on my Kindle and flicker back and forth a lot.

-The new PW logs words you check with the dictionary (i.e. by pressing down on a word) in a vocabulary builder, allowing you to check back on these words.

-Words checked in dictionary can now also be checked on wikipedia, where applicable. I have only tried out this feature, but as I read lots of non-fiction (mostly science books), this is very handy for checking wikipedia for complex scientific terminology.

*EXISTING FEATURES*
-Existing features from the original Paperwhite are all still here as well. Variety in font sizes, annotations, x-ray features, whisper sync and the amount of time left in a book.

-Wikipedia support and a (very!) basic web browser remain intact. For the web browser, think text only and sluggish scrolling.

-Battery life is also identical to the previous generation, with Amazon claiming ~8 weeks on standby. Realistically, with the original PW I managed to squeeze around 3-4 weeks with around 15-20 hours of reading per week.

-Wifi connectivity is again quick and easy. If you are on the road a lot and extensively use wikipedia, you may wish to opt for the 3G paperwhite.

-The size is also identical to the previous generation, evidence of which can be noted as I have housed my new PW in the previous generation's Kindle cover:

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Leather Cover

*FLAWS*
When the original Paperwhite was launched last year, a few features from previous models had been removed. I had high hopes that these features would inevitably return in the second iteration of the PW. Unfortunately, it seems that these features may be gone for good (unless Amazon is planning these to be included in the 3rd PW model!).

-Once agin, there is no text-to-audio.

-The mp3 player, headphone jack and stereo speakers are also absent.

-On board memory also remains at 2GB. However, as there is no mp3 and audio playback, this is not much of an issue, as 2GB is still plenty of space to store around 1000 e-Books. Also, Amazon now stores all of your e-books in the cloud, allowing you to retrieve books at your leisure.

-Again, a wall charger is not included, meaning one must charge through their computer. However, you don't need to purchase the Kindle branded wall charger and any USB based one will work (like the one included with the iPad).

*CONCLUSION*
There is no doubt that the Paperwhite may arguably be the best e-reader on the market. The screen is a joy to read on and with a very small learning curve, caters to a wide range of consumers. Even those who are not familiar with tablets and other new gadgets on the market will feel right at home with the Kindle.

I own an iPad mini which contains the Kindle app, and know many who use their tablets for reading books on. Unfortunately, these devices with backlit screens do not even come close to the Kindle reading experience. The Kindle screen truly does look amazing and is the closest `paper-like' experience on the market today. With the added benefit of carrying your entire book collection in a single device, this is a readers dream.

However, despite the improved screen, touch response, new software features and slight bump in the processor, this new model may be difficult to recommend to existing PW owners. If you are a keen gadget enthusiast or like to have the latest version of gadgets, you may justify the purchase regardless. However, the majority of people who boarded the Paperwhite ship last year may decide to pass over this latest addition. However, if you are upgrading from the Kindle Keyboard or even the Touch, I can definitely recommend this new model, provided you can overlook the flaws I mentioned.

I could go on.

I have now had my Paperwhite since Christmas and everything about it is amazing.

I bought my original Kindle Keyboard having seen for the first time a friend's Kindle in America in 2010 - when I came home the first thing I did was to buy the new Keyboard model which was just being launched. I loved my Kindle, but there were definitely limitations - notably the size and lack of light. I purchased the official Kindle cover with light, which was ok, but only ok - this gave uneven lighting to the screen and I was always aware of it which took away from the reading experience.

For me to buy a Kindle in the first place was quite amazing because I am not a natural book lover! I read, but not as an automatic everyday occurrence - just when on holiday - so for me to want to buy a Kindle to read was quite extraordinary.

What brought about this change - it was the ability to purchase, and mostly free, all the classics that I either wanted to read for the first time or re-read the few that I remembered reading a long time ago. It was amazing to be able to choose books and have them automatically delivered to a reading device within seconds. I still marvel at this nearly four years on.

When the original Paperwhite was launched I thought that this was amazing and would now be everything that the Keyboard wasn't - it was, except for one thing - the dodgy screen. I was so disappointed as I longed to be able to have the Kindle with the inbuilt light. I read every review - the more I read the sadder I became. On occasions I was tempted to just buy it - perhaps I would be lucky and my Paperwhite would have a perfect screen, or maybe I could just get used to it. But no, I decided to wait. I thought that in time, the problems would be sorted and the next generation would be the one to have.

I am so glad I waited! When I saw that the next generation of the Paperwhite was being launched last Autumn I checked through all the specifications and not only had the screen been sorted, but there were also some other improvements - the dictionary for one. I love the instant dictionary and often used it on my Kindle Keyboard, but this new dictionary is even better because the words you have looked up are saved so at some stage you can go back and look at them, and learn them!

As Christmas was just around the corner I decided to wait and have it as a Christmas present - it was a long wait as I really really wanted one of these brilliant new devices. I don't normally get very excited about receiving presents, I prefer to give them, but this year was very different! Meanwhile I read every review written by the lucky new owners, and luckily the screen problems of the first generation seemed to have been sorted.

Christmas arrived, and at last I was able to unwrap the long awaited Paperwhite. Oh my goodness - it is just so good! It has answered all my wishes for an e-reader. I love the touch screen - although I wasn't that sure that I would, and I was sure that I would miss the page turning buttons, but actually I'm really glad I don't have to use them any more as I now realise that the click of each page turn was a really annoying noise! The touch screen is just right - just the right sensitivity. I don't find any problem with having to touch the screen in a particular way, in a particular place - I either swipe, or I just touch on any part of about 3/4 of the screen to move forward a page. Obviously to turn back a page is a smaller left hand section, but that's absolutely fine. The menus at the top are intuitive - ok different from the Keyboard menus, but very obvious as to what is what. I definitely don't miss the keyboard - it always rather annoyed me. How often when reading is it necessary to type something? This is not a computer - it is a reading device. The new hidden keyboard is just perfect - it just appears when needed, and disappears when not required. Having dispensed with the physical keyboard it has made the Paperwhite a smaller device which is just perfect. Its small enough to easily be carried around, but not too small to be of use. The screen is the same size as the original Keyboard model.

The set-up was child's play. I just switched it on, it picked up our wi-fi and I was away. Registered the Paperwhite to me, and there were my books in the cloud for me to download as I wanted. It doesn't bother me that I can't have thousands and thousands of books on the one device - they are all available as and when I want them. When I've finished reading a book, I move it into a 'read' folder and then remove it from my device - I have no wish to have books on my Kindle which I've read.

For me the 'icing-on-the-cake' has to be the inbuilt light! It is amazing - I love it. Its not just that I read in bed at night, which I do and it is quite invaluable for this use, but just every now and again its really good to be able to have the screen brighter or dimmer depending on the lighting conditions - and its so easy to do.

Without a doubt it is absolutely essential to purchase a cover primarily to protect this amazing device - its worthy of protection - but although I usually go for the extras designed by the same manufacturer, this time I decided to be different. Last time I had a leather cover which was 'classic' this time I wanted something a little more light weight and more fun. I chose a Lente cover. These covers are very good - a small British company designing covers for devices. I love this cover, because its made of canvas, so it is light and hardwearing, but the other benefits are that like the 'official' covers, the Paperwhite automatically comes on when the cover is opened. The cover can be folded back and clips with a magnetic catch so that it doesn't flap open or get in the way. When it is folded back like this it is really comfy/easy to hold. I just slip my thumb in the fold if I'm holding it, but mostly I read with the Paperwhite supported by a small cushion so it is really really easy to touch the screen and there is never any risk of changing pages or menus by mistake because the Kindle itself is not being held.

The choice of books available is increasing by the minute - books I wanted several years ago are now in the e-format so my new mantra is that if its available on Kindle that's what I get. I am in the process of thinning down our paperbacks - we just don't need to store lots of books which no one else is going to read - I am donating them to our local charity shop so that other people can benefit from them in more ways than one. I probably would not buy reference books for the Kindle, or if I did, I would more than likely get the 'hard' copy too - I feel that there should be a discount offered if both an e-book and actual book are purchased - I have done this for a few books. I like the ease of use of having a book on my Kindle, but sometimes, depending on the type of book, it is easier to be able to look at a paper version, hence having both formats.

I am not a natural 'book reader' - there are huge gaps in my reading experience which I am now trying to rectify. I love the fact, that if I hear about a book which someone is talking about, or I have read a review of a book, without any delay I have sourced it on Amazon and probably downloaded a sample - if I like it I have purchased it all within a few minutes - incredible.

However, I think the one downside to the amazing Kindle, is that I do wish I could access our wonderful library books - more and more of their books are being offered in e-book format, but the Kindle software is unfortunately incompatible - a great shame. There is a way of converting e book formats back and forth with Calibre, but I haven't had much experience of this to comment on it.

So, to sum up - this new Paperwhite has been well worth the wait - if you are wondering whether to firstly get an e-reader, then the answer is definitely yes whether you are or are not a book reader, and if you are then wondering which e-reader to get - well there is no contest - the Paperwhite wins hands down.

Length:: 3:33 Mins

Edit 8/12/13:

Amazon has recently released a software update (version 5.4.2) which was installed on my Paperwhite 2 (PW2) this week.

The software update includes 'Cloud Collections' which copies all the books you have ever bought onto your PW2 (it copies the name or thumbnail of the book, not their contents as that would risk maxing out the memory). If those books are in Collections, it will copy over the Collections too.

While I personally dislike the update (hence I've downgraded my star rating from 5 to 3), I can understand why some people like or indeed love it - they have lots of books on an old Kindle and do not want to have to manually transfer them across, or to recreate Collections - and you may feel the same way. The problem is that if you do not want it (and forums show that a significant number of people don't), you cannot prevent the update being installed, and once installed you can't opt out of displaying every book ever bought under 'Settings'. In addition, Kindle discussion forums show that the update can cause problems for some users (see below).

In contrast, Sony's Playstation requires you to consent to software updates before installing them, as do Apple with iPhones and iPads.

Some people have more than one Kindle registered to their account, which Amazon allows (e.g. a couple who want the option of reading each others' books). Before the software update, they could choose which books to have on their individual Kindles. They can't any longer. And they will now see not just their Collections but their partner's too. And one person's idea of a Collection called, say, 'Classics' may differ from another's - if they have different books in those Collections, the software update will merge them which is frustrating. People have complained about this on user forums.

There is one large benefit of the update: if your old Kindle breaks down/is lost/stolen, you won't lose any Collections on it.

I personally dislike the update as I went from 2 pages on my PW2 to 13 overnight. I also found that some of my books on my KK had somehow been copied into the wrong Collections on my PW2 (something that other PW2 owners have commented on in forums). I had Collections on my KK and PW2 with the same name but containing different books - the update merged them. This would all have been avoided had Amazon taken the simple step of requiring me to tick a box, asking if I wanted to install a software update.

While I accept that many people will welcome the update, forums show that some do not and it is a shame that Amazon enforces it on all users and then does not allow them to opt out under 'Settings'.

---------------------------------------------

**Original review: ***

This written review goes beyond my accompanying video review:

For someone who has never had the original Paperwhite (PW1), the obvious advantage is the built-in light. The less obvious advantage is the faster processor speed - my Kindle Keyboard (KK) is as slow as honey in January and will freeze for a long time when I use the 'search' facility. I was also irritated that the KK does not order book collections alphabetically on the home screen (oddly, it does when allocating a book to a collection).

Improvements:

*Backlight*

For PW1 users, the light is more even. For non-PW1 owners, it's great to have a light. I thought that the light was for reading in bed at night with all lights off but it actually significantly improves visibility and the whiteness of the screen even during the day under ordinary indoor lighting, as demonstrated in my video.

*Improved processor*

Searching for anything is so much faster than my KK.

*Vocabulary Builder*

Whenever you look a word up in the dictionary, it adds it to the Vocabulary Builder automatically. I like this. I have demonstrated and expanded on this in the video.

*Improved screen*

It is sharper and less reflective.

*Cosmetics*

The trend since the KK has been towards lighter shades of gray - the KK was dark gray and the Kindle Touch was a lighter gray, almost silver. The PW2 is black, which I personally prefer.

*Highlighting*

For those of you who, like me, are upgrading from a KK, highlighting is shown as gray background behind text (like highlighting in gray in Microsoft Word). This is much better than the KK which claimed to highlight but just did a dotted underline.

* Restricting access - Parental Controls*

You can restrict access to the books you have bought, the Kindle Store and the web browser. So, for example, children can only access the books you have uploaded onto the device as opposed to any book you have bought, and they can't use it to surf the net or buy books.

*Buying book after downloading free sample*

If you download a free sample and then buy the book, the free sample is automatically deleted and replaced by the full book, AND your current position is transferred from the free sample to the new book. On the KK I was left with 2 books and had to delete the free sample, and then manually find where I had got to in the new book.

*Negatives*

*Typical electronic problem, easily cured*

I've only just bought it and yesterday it started lagging - e.g. in an earlier version of my customer video it took 9 seconds between highlighting 'somnambulistic' and it displaying the dictionary definition (for the purpose of this review, I replayed that video and timed it). Today it suddenly slowed to a crawl - it was taking minutes to do anything. A restart (hold power button in for a few seconds and select 'restart') cured that.

I am really surprised that this happened so soon after buying it, and with a mere 10 books downloaded onto it. Had it not in effect frozen, I would not have restarted it and therefore would have been left with a slow machine with no idea how to cure it. I suggest that if yours slows down then you might care to restart it - the difference in speed on my PW2 is remarkable.

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Edit - added 9/11/13

*Synching between Kindles*

I had a problem with my devices not synching the last page read or annotations & highlights - e.g. my PW2 would say I was on the furthest page when I had got further on my KK, and highlights made on the KK were not shown on the PW2. This was despite annotation backup being 'on' and manually synching the Kindle via the menu. The reason turned out to be simple - furthest page read, annotations & highlights are only uploaded to Amazon's servers when you exit a book and return to the Home Screen. Incidentally, if your device is wifi only, this can only happen if wifi is on and you are in an area with wifi. So, if transferring between devices, return to the Home Screen before turning your Kindle off.

If reading a book and making lots of notes/highlights, it would make sense to return to the Home Screen regularly in case your Kindle breaks or is stolen, in which case all notes/highlights since the last time in the Home Screen will be lost.

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Edit - added 21/11/13

*Tip*

I got irritated that I would turn a page accidentally (by touching the screen), so I would turn back and yet not be on the original page. I found it very irritating as it made no sense.

I have since discovered that the reason is only a tiny margin on the left of the screen is interpreted as a backward page turn - the width of three letters. For example, in my current book the first word in the centre left of the page (against the margin) is 'home'. If I touch the 'e', it turns FORWARD a page. If I touch the 'm', it turns back. I have checked that on a different page and get the same result.

So, if you have that problem, that is why.

The advantage of such a narrow margin is that you can hold the Kindle in your left hand and turn pages forward using your left thumb. There is no need to use your right hand to turn pages.

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*Packaging & ordering*

This ships in a 'No Frustration Packaging' box with 'Kindle Paperwhite' written on it, which has two disadvantages. Firstly, if it is a gift for someone it can spoil the surprise. Secondly, the box is designed to fit through a letterbox. If you do not mind your brand new electronic item being dropped on the floor from the height of your letterbox, that's fine. The solution to both is to tick 'This is a gift' in the checkout process as then Amazon will ship it in an ordinary box. I am not convinced that such a diminutive box protects it in the post or when dropped through the letterbox - ironically, I find the Frustration Free packaging frustrating.

Now I've upgraded from a Kindle Keyboard, maybe it's time for me to upgrade my music collection too. Eh? What? Records? What are they? My music's on Edison Cylinder...

I received my Kindle Paperwhite as a Christmas present after having owned the Kindle 4 for a couple of years. I absolutely loved my Kindle 4 and was confident I'd love the Kindle Paperwhite too, but was a little concerned it might not be a very significant upgrade.

I'm delighted to say that the Kindle Paperwhite seems like pretty much the perfect e-reader to me and is even more user-friendly than the Kindle 4. Unlike the Kindle 4 it has a touchscreen rather than buttons on the side of the device. I find the screen responsive without being too sensitive. Some have suggested that the touchscreen means you can't turn the pages both back and forwards while only using one hand, because the 'back' area is on the left of the screen and the 'forward' area is on the right. I don't find this to be the case at all, however! I think perhaps people don't realise that you don't *have* to tap on either side to turn back and forth - you can also swipe in either direction on the right hand side of the screen too, which requires only the smallest movement of your thumb. I can easily operate my Kindle Paperwhite with one hand, and I have smaller hands than most. You can also bring up a touchscreen keyboard to make notes and enter search terms and passwords, which is a big improvement on the fiddly navigation keys needed to type on the Kindle 4 and less cumbersome than the physical keyboard on the Kindle Keyboard model.

The Kindle Paperwhite has lots of ingenious extra features to enhance your reading experience if that's your thing - although of course, you don't have to use them and they aren't intrusive in the slightest. You can access them if you want to but they won't get in your way if you don't. There are also many different settings and options to cater for your particular preferences, including a good range of fonts, of which you can adjust the size, and different options for line spacing, margins and even orientation (you can switch from portrait to landscape, which I would imagine could be useful if you're looking at images or diagrams as well as text).

However, my favourite thing about the Kindle Paperwhite is the screen itself. I hate backlit screens for reading books, but also found the screen on my Kindle 4 a little too grey for comfortable reading in certain conditions, and tended to use my Kindle 4 with a lighted cover. With the Kindle Paperwhite, you don't need a an extra light, but don't have to deal with eyestrain from a backlit screen. Instead, the screen is lit by what I assume are microscopic LEDs embedded in the device that light the screen gently from the front. This gives a pleasant, evenly distributed light that illuminates the page in such way that you barely register it as light at all, while making the page crystal-clear and comfortable to read in any light conditions. You can read in the dark, you can read in bright sunlight, you can read in all types of artificial light, and it won't strain your eyes any more than reading on paper - probably less, in fact, as you can adjust the brightness to suit any situation and any preference.

All in all the Kindle Paperwhite is a real winner for me and I'd recommend it as an upgrade from the Kindle 4 or as a first e-reader. It's so simple and intuitive to use that most people who'd never used an e-reader before would get to grips with the Kindle Paperwhite very quickly.

I cant praise this item enough. I was adamant for such a long time that even though I love reading my books I didnt like the thought of a kindle. I like the feel of a book in my hands. But at xmas (13) I decided to treat myself to one and I can honestly say I have never been happier. I have downloaded loads of free books from amazon and also bought a few box sets. Amazing value for money. Cant wait to take it on holiday with me to spain.

Has made reading at night far more pleasurable. In fact too pleasurable, as I now am suffering from lack of sleep!

exactly as advertised and very easy to use

easier to read from as it is lighter than my ipad and the screen is clearer

I absolutely love my Paperwhite, I bought it when I lost my original keyboard Kindle, and never thought I'd like it better than that. However the battery life is very short, I have to recharge at least once a week and sometimes twice. I find this disappointing as I was looking forward to this as a feature.